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#NoFear Crime Fiction Heroines, a Guest Post by Marnie Riches, author of The Girl Who Had No Fear

I’m thrilled to be part of the launch celebrations for The Girl Who Had No Fear by Marnie Riches. The Girl Who Had No Fear is book four in the George McKenzie series and was published by Maze, a Harper Collins digital imprint, on 1st December 2016 and is available for purchase here.

I’m so excited to be sharing a guest post from Marnie Riches today, all about kick-ass heroines.

The Girl Who Had No Fear

Amsterdam: a city where sex sells and drugs come easy. Four dead bodies have been pulled from the canals – and that number’s rising fast. Is a serial killer on the loose? Or are young clubbers falling prey to a lethal batch of crystal meth?

Chief Inspector Van den Bergen calls on criminologist Georgina McKenzie to help him solve this mystery. George goes deep undercover among the violent gangs of Central America. Working for the vicious head of a Mexican cartel, she must risk her own life to find the truth. With murder everywhere she turns, can George get people to talk before she is silenced for good?

A pulse-pounding race against time, perfect for fans of Stieg Larsson and Jo Nesbo.

#NoFear – Crime-fiction Heroines That Kick Ass

A Guest Post by Marnie Riches

When I penned The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die – the first book in the George McKenzie series – I consciously chose to write a capable, mouthy female criminologist as my lead protagonist. In commercial crime fiction, gung-ho, kick-ass and boasting possession of gigantic cojones are characteristics normally reserved for the likes of Jack Reacher and Harry Hole. But they shouldn’t be. There are many women I have known personally who are as tough as old boots and daring as the devil. George is in many ways my ode to those real life heroines.

In The Girl Who Had No Fear, I think George faces her most dangerous challenge yet by taking on the might of a brutal Mexican drugs cartel. For me, it’s important to write the sort of heroine who could kill you with her intelligence as well as carefully placed thumbs. And I’m pleased to say that George frequently takes out her enemies with her barbed tongue alone! So, badass female characters are very much my thing as a reader, too.

Taking all that into account, here are my three favourite heroines in crime fiction:

Clarice Starling: In Thomas Harris’ classic crime novel, The Silence of the Lambs, it is Clarice, the trainee FBI agent, who is chosen by her boss to rush in where qualified FBI agents fear to tread – right into the maximum security wing of a Baltimore State Hospital for the Criminally Insane. Clarice, being a brainy and physically capable sort, succeeds in piquing evil genius, Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s curiosity before capturing his heart. For her tenacity alone, she deserves to parade the skin-flaying serial killer, Buffalo Bill’s scalp on her belt.

Lisbeth Salander: Stieg Larsson’s world-famous, spiky goth of a heroine is really what persuaded me to write my own crime novel with mouthy brainiac, George in the lead. I loved Salander the moment I met her in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. She looks amazing. She’s socially awkward. She’s super-intelligent. She really does kick actual ass. I loved her unapologetic non-conformist sexuality. I loved the fact that she could be heroic whilst also being almost certainly somewhere on the autistic spectrum. Most of all, she was refreshing. If only she didn’t have to be an easy victim of sexual abuse as a pre-condition to triumph! It’s the only downside to an otherwise wonderful character, and Salander is not to be missed.

Lori Anderson: Steph Broadribb is a new name on the crime-writing scene in the UK, though, as the highly popular blogger, Crime Thriller Girl, she’s definitely no stranger to it. Lori Anderson’s not your average crime fiction lead. She’s a bounty hunter, for a start, and an American! I found Steph’s debut, Deep Down Dead unputdownable. This was due, in part, to Lori’s strong character. She was brilliant at battering the living daylights out of some really nasty characters with only a can of pepper spray and feminine ninja cunning. Her maternal instincts were heart-rending. And she even managed to get jiggy with a hot guy amid some challenging circumstances. Lori Anderson is a heroine to watch!

There are also a number of excellent female detectives in UK crime fiction – Sarah Hilary’s Marnie Rome and Eva Dolan’s DS Ferreira spring to mind. Ava Marsh’s Stella in Untouchable is also pretty special. But here, I’ve selected the biggest, loudest and most unusual characters that have appealed to me.

Which of your favourite reads boast a heroine who has #NoFear?

About Marnie Riches

Marnie Riches grew up on a rough estate in Manchester. She learned her way out of the ghetto, all the way to Cambridge University, where she gained a Masters degree in German & Dutch. She has been a punk, a trainee rock star, a pretend artist, a property developer and professional fundraiser. Previously a children’s author, now, she writes crime and contemporary women’s fiction.

Marnie Riches is the author of The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die – the first installment of the George McKenzie crime thriller series, published by Maze and Avon at Harper Collins.

In her spare time, Marnie likes to run (more of a long distance shuffle, really) travel, drink and eat all the things (especially if combined with travel) paint portraits, sniff expensive leather shoes (what woman doesn’t?) and renovate old houses. She also adores flowers.